MUNICH— Freising

Freising is one of the oldest towns in Bavaria. It was originally the spiritual and cultural centre of southern Bavaria but in 1821 the Bishop moved to Munich and Freising went into decline. Most people visit Freising to visit the church which sits on the hill called Domberg and dominates the old town which is full of lovely houses and lots of little lanes to explore.

Dom St Maria and St Korbinian
This is the Cathedral of St Mary and St Korbinian and it was the church of the former Diocese of Freising. St Korbinian was the patron saint of the city of Freising. The original building that stood here was destroyed by fire and the church you see today was constructed from 1159 onwards and consecrated in 1250. It contains some wonderful treasures including the tomb of St Korbinian as well as the famous stone Bestiensaule (the column of beasts), both of which are found in the crypt. The decoration of the interior is quite stunning with its frescoes by the Asam brothers.

Cathedral Library
East of the church you will find the cloisters with its halls of marble and stucco that pay tribute to the bishops of Freising. Here you will find the Cathedral library in one of the halls. Both the cloisters and the library have Rococo decoration. Johann Baptist Zimmermann decorated the cloisters and Francois de Cuvillies decorated the stucco ceiling in the Cathedral library.

Domberg Museum
This is the largest ecclesiastical museum in Germany and houses around 20,000 works of religious art from medieval to modern times. There are some wonderful displays of precious jewelled icons and clothing. One of the highlights of the museum is the 12th century Byzantine icon — Lukasbild.
For more information on the museum visit the website at:http://www.dioezesanmuseum-freising.de/nm01.htm

Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan
Southwest of Domberg is the Benedictine monastery, Kloster Weihenstephan. In this monastery you will find the Weihenstephan Brewery which is the world’s oldest brewery. Its beers are exported all over the world. There is also a college of beer brewing found here which is considered the best in the world.
For more information on the brewery visit the website at: http://www.brauerei-weihenstephan.de/index2.html?lang=eng